Yesterday was a beautiful day in London. I decided to stay around our neighborhood and explore close to home. I don't think we could have picked a better place to stay. The neighborhood,
Holborn, has everything we need and a lot of wonderful extras. We have a park at the end of our street,
tube and bus stops nearby, a nice grocery store, and the main street in our neighborhood, Lambs Conduit, is lined with terrific shops, restaurants and cafes.
One of the great shops in our neighborhood that I was looking forward to is
Persephone Books. Their books have the same uniform and distinct grey cover, but the interiors of the jackets are a surprise burst of color and pattern. The interior of each book is a textile print of a fabric from the year the book was written. They specialize in publishing books of lesser-known women writers from the early to mid-twentieth century and currently have 83 titles in their catalog.
The bookstore is cozy and welcoming with vintage treasures in their merchandising.
The bookshop is also filled with fresh flowers.
If you need a quick gift, they have books pre-wrapped in bright pink paper, accompanied by a bookmark with information and the fabric design corresponding to the book's interior. I bought
The Blank Wall for a friend, un-wrapped though so I could read the first few pages to see what I might think of it, but now I want to read it myself first! I read the first few pages and am already absorbed in it.
It looks like it would be a nice place to work, too.
And around the corner is a new coffee shop,
The Espresso Room--a great place to go after buying a new book. I have a feeling I'll be spending more time at these two places.
Yesterday we went to Borough Market. It was madness! The market itself was great--filled with beautiful flowers, fresh produce, cheese, meat and dry goods, gourmet coffee and tea, and tempting pastries, chocolate and candy. The sights and smells were mouth-watering for sure, and I don't think we were the only ones who thought so. The market was packed. So many people were there that we could barely walk the isles. It's definitely not a stroller friendly market, but it was still fun to be part of the hustle and bustle, and the tasty treats we brought home were great. We bought some of the best cheese, olives, and bread we've ever eaten. Delicious.
